Monday, October 29, 2012

For as long as she remembers, Mary Montague Sikes has been
both an artist and an author. As a child, she usually had a scrap of paper and
a pencil nearby so she could draw and write a little note about her picture. As
an author, she's been most satisfied when she could create the art that appears
on her covers. For many of Sikes' books, her publisher has used one of her
paintings as the basis for the cover. For Jungle Jeopardy, since she no longer
owns the painting on the cover, Sikes created two new paintings, one of a
jungle parrot and one of a black jaguar from the story. She takes these
paintings with her to book signings.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Often I’m asked how I got started writing paranormal
romance. I don’t think it’s so much the ‘how’ as to the ‘why.’ When I first
started reading romance, it was always historicals. I gobbled up books by
Amanda Quick, Johanna Lindsey, and Laura Kinsale. I figured, hey, if I was
going to lose myself in a fictional word, I didn’t want it to be like the one I
currently live in (apologies to all the contemporary writers out there). I wanted
to be swept away to a time long ago, when honor meant everything and a hero
would lay down his life to protect those he loved. A time when the world was as
rugged as the men who lived in it and things were not so PC. I wanted my knight
in shining armor to come riding in on his white horse and rescue me in the nick
of time, darn it.

But after a while, the books all started sounding the same.
I was getting bored. I knew something was missing. So one day, as I stood in my
local book store staring aimlessly at the multitude of books before me, the
sales lady came up to me and asked if she could help. I told her my dilemma –
that I loved historicals but I wanted something different. Something more.
Something with magic. She smiled and pointed me to Jill Barnett’s BEWITCHING.
Not only did this incredible author introduce me to paranormal romance, but it
opened up the world of humorous historical paranormal romance to me. A major
milestone. I had found what I didn’t know I’d been searching for! A book with
history, romance, humor and a touch of magic. I didn’t know there could be such
a thing.

So years later, when I decided to try my hand at writing, did I write what I
loved? Nope. I sat down and tried to write one of those epic historical
romances. It had a Highland laird, a warrior heroine, an evil father, revenge,
coerced sex, illegitimate pregnancy, angst, deception, drama, and even a case
of amnesia thrown in. Everything but the kitchen sink. Did it sell? Nope. And
now that I know what I know, I’m not surprised. But at the time I was
heartbroken. Why didn’t anyone love my great masterpiece? Then I heard those
prolific words that gave me that ‘ah ha’ moment every author has. Not ‘write
what you know,’ because unless you’re a history scholar or time traveler, no
one really ‘knows’ what it was truly like to live in a time not our own. No,
the prolific words that got me started writing in the paranormal genre were
‘write what you love to read.’

And so I did. And you know what? That book
practically wrote itself. It flew from my fingertips with all the pieces
falling magically into place. It was a book with bumbling guardian angels and
reincarnated soul mates set in WWII Pompeii. By the time I finished it, I had
what I thought was a pretty darn good book. Someone else thought so too,
because it landed me an agent. Did it sell? Nope, mainly because of the time
period (evidently NY publishing thinks the WWII time period has the cooties). But
it came very close with one NY publisher, climbing up the editorial ladder to
the top before it was rejected because I refused to rewrite it as a
contemporary. Was I heartbroken? Yes. Did I give up on it? No. I self-published
it and it’s slowly finding its way into reader’s hearts. Apparently I’m not the
only one out there who loves humor, history and paranormal in their romance.

____________________________

OUT OF THE ASHES – Pompeii, reincarnation and romance

"Lori Dillon brings a fresh new voice for paranormal historical romance readers to enjoy. OUT OF THE ASHES shows the author is a born storyteller, with emotion on every page. I cried at the end."

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Editing. Indexing. Proofreading. From the first word to well beyond the end.

Founded in 2001 by April Michelle Davis, Editorial Inspirations provides exceptional editing, indexing, and proofreading services to both publishers and authors. Each task is approached with a greater understanding of the

various aspects of the publishing process. The intent of the author and the publisher is always kept in mind—from the first word to well beyond the end.

Monday, October 22, 2012

I love being able to curl up with a good book. There is something about being swept away in a story and rooting for the characters to either solve the mystery, catch the bad guy or even wait for the snarky response from a hero or villain. If I could, I think I'd love to transport myself into a book. But, with my busy schedule, finding time to read used to be difficult until I created my To-Be-Read (TBR) list.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

With twenty authors from all over the Commonwealth participating in the Celebrate With A Book Author Book Fair on December 15, 2012 at Regency Square Mall in Richmond, Virginia, there are a lot of great books and authors coming your way.Please click on their respective names to learn more about these great writers.

Monday, October 8, 2012

"Celebrate with a Book" Author Book Fair

DECEMBER 15, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Come one, come all to the first annual Regency Square Mall Book Fair, where twenty Virginian authors will sign their books. Find the perfect gift for the book lover on your list. There will be something for everyone, ranging from children's books to romance.

Where: Regency Square Mall - right outside of the JC Penney on the first floor.